


The Life and Times of Prince Lotor of Daibazaal

by anonony



Series: Seducing A Hot Alien Prince 101 [10]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bad Parenting, Gen, Pre-Canon, tags to be updated with later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-02 09:13:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13315068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anonony/pseuds/anonony
Summary: A History of Lotor from Birth to the end of Season 2





	1. Early Life

**Author's Note:**

> This is a SFW companion piece to my Lancelot series currently titled "Alien Fuck Buddies" (Title to change) about the history of Lotor in that universe, however, it can be read as a standalone piece.

“My Love,” Zarkon said, entering the laboratory, “my love, are you still working this late?”

“In here,” Honerva said, and Zarkon followed, holding his bundle close to his chest. 

As Zarkon walked in, he saw his wife in her usual position, hovering over controls, eyes flying over the data to absorb it more quickly. “My dear,” he said, “shouldn’t you be resting?”

“I lost too much time on bed rest,” she said, “too much work...need to keep up…” she certainly didn’t look like a woman who had recently laid a galra egg. Zarkon was surprised she had managed it, but leave it to a powerful alchemist to master inter species procreation.

Which reminded him, as the bundle he carried wiggled in his arms. “Dear, it’s almost time.”

A frown crossed her brow and she looked up, recognizing the bundle. “I thought you weren’t supposed to move it.”

“I know how important your work is to you.” Zarkon said, “and I know you weren’t...thrilled with the idea of a baby….”

“Oh, husband,” Honerva said, “I know how important the succession is to you.”

Zarkon smiled at her. “Well, anyway, I thought I’d bring it to you for the emerging, so as to disrupt you as little as possible.”

Honerva smiled in return. “You’re sweet,” She said, “put it here.”

She cleared out a table and let him lay out his bundle, unwrapping it to reveal a soft, round, red egg. “It looks almost like a fish egg,” Honerva said, staring at it and examining it. 

“Are you calling our son a fish, darling?” Zarkon asked.

She chuckled. “May-“ she cut herself off with a gasp as a dark shape moved within the egg. “That’s him?” She asked. 

“Yes,” He said, “yes, come on,” he urged the wiggling little shape. 

The shape pushed up against the walls, unil Zarkon and Honerva could see a blur of purple and white. “Come on,” Zarkon urged as it pressed up against the walls, “Come on, cub!”

They watched silently for several minutes as the small child moved and squirmed, bending the flexible walls, but not pushing hard enough to breech them. “Come on,” Zarkon said, as they watched tiny claws scratching the underside, “Come ON!”

“Zarkon,” Honerva said, “He needs help,”

“No,” He held her wrist, watching enraptured, “He can do it. He’s my son, I know he can.” 

They kept watching, but the baby made no more progress, struggling weakly. “This is taking too long,” Honerva said, standing to grab some of her varied and sundry medical equipment. 

“Wait,” Zarkon said, “It is a matter of pride for a Galra, to break oneself free from the egg.”

“Well how’s he supposed to know that?” she said, taking out a knife, “Besides, he’s only half Galra.” Zarkon still looked hesitant. “Look, he’s going to suffocate at some point if he just stays in there.”

Zarkon sighed and relented, and Honerva went to the egg. With a surgeon’s precision, she stabbed it without hurting the child inside. 

With that, the egg burst open, goo splashing around the sterile area, and the little baby, lying helpless, still wriggling and squalling like he didn’t know he was free. “Oh, Great Groggery,” Honerva said, jumping out of range of the goo and rushing to find cleaning supplies. 

Zarkon was left staring at his child as it squirmed alone on the metal table. It was smaller than a typical Galra child, with white Altean hair on it’s head, and tiny points on it’s ears. He loved his wife, but he had expected his progeny to...well, to turn out more like him. 

“Well?” Honerva asked, snapping him out of his reverie, “Aren’t you going to…” She gestured at the child.

“Ah...right,” he said, reluctantly grabbing one of the cleaning instruments and dutifully drying off the child. 

“Honestly, Zarkon,” Honerva says, “I’m sure the child will grow up to be a great Galra warrior someday, and make you proud to be his father. Just give him a bit of a break, he’s only just been born.”

Zarkon loosens up and sighs, “You’re right, as usual, beloved,” He says, returning to his task with vigor, and picking up his bawling son. “Our son will be the pride of the empire, the great Prince Lotor.”

 

“Slow down, Allura,” Alfor called, chasing after his daughter as she dashed out of the shuttle pod. 

“But Father!” Allura cried, “It’s already been ages since he was born! What if he grows bigger! I have to see him when he’s small!”

“I promise, Allura, he won’t grow too much in the time it takes us to calmly walk down the hall.” Alfor said, finally catching up and scooping her into his arms. He was in fact, a little impatient himself. He couldn’t believe Zarkon hadn’t told him right away that he and Honerva were having children, but...Zarkon had been more and more distant as of late. Alfor still called him one of his best friends, but...it was like some invisible barrier had come between them. 

“Greetings, King Alfor,” A Galran servant said, bowing low to greet them, “Welcome to Daibazaal.” 

“Thank you,” Alfor said, nodding and still trying to keep a hold on his young daughter. “We’ve come to see Zarkon, he should be expecting us,” Allura squirmed again, “AND the young Prince.” 

“Naturally. Right this way,” The servant said, leading them to a comfortable parlor room. 

Inside, Zarkon stood, smiling beside a servant holding a bundle. Allura all but jumped for joy. “Is that him? Can I see him? Can I hold him?” 

“Alfor, my old friend,” Zarkon grinned, “And Princess, you’ve grown so big!”

Alfor sighed in relief. It felt like all the tension of their silent years had melted away. “It is good to see you too, Zarkon,” He said. 

“Faatheeer,” Allura whined. 

“Yes, okay, you can go see him.” Alfor said, letting her down. She skipped over to the servant, jumping in place as he bent down for her to see. 

Prince Lotor blinked up at her with wide yellow eyes. He had a mop of white hair sitting on his head, just above a pair of Altean ears, but everything else about him was Galran. “Father, look! He’s fuzzy!” She said, rubbing his purple furry cheeks. 

Zarkon chuckled, “Yes, he has a good amount Galra genes,” Zarkon said proudly.

“Ma,” Baby Lotor said, making grabby hands at Allura, “Ma ma”

Alfor chuckled, “I suppose to a Galran, Allura does look somewhat like Honerva.”

“Mama!” Lotor squeaked out.

Zarkon kneeled beside Allura. “Can you say ‘Dad’ Lotor? Say ‘Dad’?”

“Mama!”

Zarkon sighed in defeat, and Alfor chuckled at his discontent “It’s alright, old friend. He no doubt says it because YOU talk about his mother to him all the time. It was the same thing with Allura, it’s not a preference.”

Zarkon harrumphed and stood back up as Allura cooed over the baby. “You’d think he’d appreciate the one who actually makes him a Prince.”

“He’s a baby,” Alfor said, “Give him time, he’ll come to love you.”

“Father,” Allura looked up with her own wide eyes, “Can I hold him? Please? I promise I’ll be careful!” 

Alfor looked over to Zarkon, who gave a nod. The servant held out the baby to Allura who squealed in excitement to be holding him. 

“We brought a gift as well,” Alfor said, pulling out a small crystal attached to a cord, “It’s a small Balmera Crystal, not big enough to power much of anything, but the Balmerans consider them good luck.”

“Fascinating,” Zarkon said, “I’m sure he’ll need it,” He said, looking down at his young son in Allura’s arms. 

Allura was trying to rock him back and forth like she had seen people do with babies, but more than anything she seemed to be making tiny Lotor dizzy. “Bwahh!” He exclaimed, his breakfast coming out his mouth….and splattering all over Allura’s dress. 

There was a solid time slice of silence where nobody moved. Then, in perfect sync, both Allura and Lotor burst into tears. The Galra servant swooped in to gather Lotor up as Alfor led Allura back to the ship so they could get a change of outfit.

 

“Mama,” Lotor squeaked out a few years later, able to run around and cause trouble all on his own. 

Honerva jumped in place, the vial of quintessence she’d been holding went flying, and she only just managed to catch it. She took a deep breath and set it aside, safely. “Lotor,” she said, angrily looking down at her son, “What are you doing?”

“I missed you!” Lotor said smiling cheerfully. He held up his arms like he did for the servants when he wanted to be held. 

Sighing, Honerva leaned down to pick him up. Lotor giggled, but didn’t realize at first that she was just carrying him out to the hallway. “I thought I told you to stay out of the lab. There’s a lot of dangerous equipment in here!”

“But YOU’RE always in here!” Lotor said, trying to give her a hug. She accepted it reluctantly. 

“Why don’t you go and find your father?” She suggested, impatient, “I’m sure he’d LOVE to spend some time with you. Or one of the servants I’m sure would love to play.”

Lotor deflated, his white hair hanging in his face. “What? What is it?” Honerva asked. 

“I just...Everyone else here is Galra,” Lotor said, “They just...they don’t...they don’t look like me.”

“Nonsense,” Honerva dismissed, “You’re half galra, so you look like everyone. You’re purple, just like everyone else, you have yellow eyes just like everyone else…”

“But they’re all bigger than me!” Lotor said, “Even the kids! And none of them have hair like me or ears like me…” Lotor gave an exaggerated sniff, “And they just...none of them like me….”

“Ridiculous,” Honerva said, “You’re the Prince! Everyone has to like you.” She put him down on the ground. Even so small, he was heavy, and her arms had been getting weaker. 

“They don’t!” Lotor said, stamping his foot stubbornly, “I KNOW they don’t! They don’t like me ‘cause I’m Altean.”

Honerva considered him. There had certainly been Galra who were not happy with her and Zarkon’s marriage, Honerva knew that but it never bothered her. But if they were saying things to her son…

“LOTOR!” Honerva turned at the sound of her husband’s voice. Lotor gasped and hid behind Honerva’s robes. 

Zarkon stormed down the hallway, anxious servants flanking him, as he zeroed in on his son. “Where have you BEEN!” he said, yanking him out from behind Honerva, “You’re not supposed to run off from your lessons! And you’re ESPECIALLY not supposed to go bother your mother while she’s working!”

Lotor instantly burst into tears. “I’m-I’m--I’m sorry!” He stuttered out, “I just--I--I--I--”

“Don’t cry,” Zarkon chastised, “You are the Prince of the Galra, you have to show strength! Courage! One day, you will be a fierce Galra Warrior!”

Lotor bawled even harder, gasping out a word with each breath, “But--I--don’t--want--to--be--a--warrior!” He whined, “I--don’t---want--to--be--a--Galra!” He collapsed on the floor, weeping before his father.

Zarkon snarled at him in disgust. Honerva leaped into action, snapping at one of the servants to come take Lotor. They nodded quickly, one gathering him up in his arms, the other patting the Prince comfortingly. “Have him call Alfor, maybe seeing some other Alteans will do him good,” Honerva said. They nodded and swept away.

Zarkon grumbled, but Honerva tried to soften him, touching his arm, “I keep telling you, he’s only a child. He’ll grow out of it.”

“He’d better soon,” Zarkon sneered, “Or else all he’ll be is a disappointment.”

“Well, he better not be, then,” Honerva said, turning back to her lab, “Because I’m not having another.” 

Zarkon finally softened, following her inside. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I don’t need you mothering me,” She answered, finally getting back to her work. 

“The healers said you nearly collapsed the other day--”

“I said I’m fine!” She snapped at him. He went silent. “By the way,” She said, before she lost herself in the work again, “Some of the servants have apparently been making comments about our marriage again.”

Zarkon nodded, “I’ll have them found and executed.”

“Thank you,” She smiled over her shoulder at him as he marched off.

 

Years later, not enough years for Alfor, He was back on Daibazaal. His relationship with Zarkon had only deteriorated, but he thought he could repair it by helping him save his planet. 

How wrong he had been. 

“What do we do now?” Ryner asked, as the four remaining paladins gathered in the room, left with the bodies of Zarkon and Honerva. 

Alfor wanted to cry. Or run. Or both. Get out of here, run to Altea, and forget that this ever happened. “We…” He started, his voice breaking, but he cleared his throat. “We need to evacuate the planet,” he said, “We can worry about successions and….funerals...later,” he said. 

Blaytz nodded. Gyrgan clamped Alfor on the shoulder in support as they headed out. “Where are they?” They heard a small voice in the hallway as they started to get out, “Stop it! I know they’re here where are my--”

At the doorway appeared tiny Lotor being held back by servants, but continually managing to slip through their arms. 

Alfor had only seen him a handful of times since that first moment. His hair had grown longer and smoother, reminding Alfor of a younger Honerva.

Who, coincidentally, was who Lotor’s eyes fell on in the room. “M-Mother?” He asked hesitantly.

Alfor was on him in an instant, stepping in between the boy and his dead parents, and guiding him out of the room. “It’s alright, I’ve got him,” Alfor said, waving off the servants and fellow Paladins. 

He knelt before Lotor, who’s eyes were tearing, “Look at me,” Alfor said to the boy, sympathy pouring out for him. “Hey...I know this is hard right now...but...you’ll be ok.” He winced. That was a terrible thing to say to a child who just saw his parents were dead. 

“What...what happened?” He asked, trembling. 

Alfor took a deep breath. How to explain to a child? “They...They tried something which…” No, there was no good way to do this. And meanwhile there was a planet exploding. “Listen, Lotor, I promise, I’ll keep you safe. You’ll come and stay with me and my family for now, alright? And then we’ll work things out.” He swallowed and could see Lotor was breaking down, on the verge of tears. “I’m sorry,” He said, “I’m...I’m so, so sorry.”

And there, Lotor broke. Alfor scooped him up in his arms and held him, trying to whisper comforting things in his ear. 

He brought him over to Coran, and said, “Look after him while I conduct the evacuation,” He said, knowing he’d soon have to break the news to Lotor that not only were his parents gone, but his planet was destroyed too. 

One step at a time. 

“C’mon, Lad,” Coran said to Lotor, “Let’s get you some Juniberry cream. Something sweet is sure to help any wound.” Lotor kept crying and sniffling as Lotor led him away.

None of them knew that in the room they’d left behind, Zarkon had risen once again.

 

“What are we going to do?” Coran asked Alfor, as they looked upon the destruction Zarkon had caused. Zarkon destroyed Blaytz’ planet first, with a promise that all the Voltron planets would follow, including and especially Altea. 

Alfor grit his teeth. “We fight. We have to take him down. We--”

“I know,” Coran said, “I meant...I’m worried...I’m worried about the boy.”

He nodded his head down the halls of the castle, where they had been keeping Lotor. The boy refused to come out of his room, for movements and movements now. “What about him?”

“What if Zarkon finds him?” Coran asked, “What will he do?”

Alfor opened his mouth but closed it when he realized he didn’t really have an answer. Would Zarkon kill his own child? Or somehow convert him to his newly found twisted ways? In either sense, he doubted Zarkon would be okay with Alfor keeping him and raising him as his own. So, what could they do?

“We need to hide him,” Alfor said, more to himself than Coran, “Hide him so Zarkon will never find him.”

“Where?” Coran asked.

Alfor took a deep breath, thinking. 

 

“Where are we going?” Lotor asked, as Alfor took him by the hand and guided him to the Red Lion. 

“On a trip,” Alfor said, trying to slow down so Lotor’s small legs could keep up with him. “Don’t worry, we’ll be back before you know it,” He said, which was not technically a lie...though not the truth either. 

He activated a portal from within his lion and flew through it, Lotor sitting on his lap. Lotor had taken to clutching whoever was holding him as though they might disappear, something Alfor found to be both adorable and heartbreaking. 

The Ajanod belt had been a sacred place to the Alteans for ages. The ancients who had first started exploring the universe came across it, and its high level of magnetism made sensors impossible to use. Some believed there was something hidden in the rocks, but no one could say what. Some explorations had been attempted, but with little results or any signs of life, and so they had stopped any efforts. 

It was the perfect place. 

“Uncle Alfor?” Lotor asked, “What’s going on?” His small face was set and determined, not unlike Honerva’s when faced with a mystery. 

Alfor took a breath. “We’re going to send you away, just for a bit,” Alfor said, “Just until things calm down, I promise. I will come back for you, alright?” 

“When?” Lotor demanded. 

Alfor sighed. “I don’t know right now. But I will, alright?”

“I don’t want to go,” Lotor said, stubbornly, “I wanna go back, I wanna go home, I--” He stopped himself, and Alfor could see the reminder in his brain that his home was gone. 

“I know,” Alfor said, “I know. But this will just be for a little while. Come on, okay? For me?”

Lotor bit his lip, but followed Alfor to the stasis pod he’d had loaded into the lion. “Don’t worry,” Alfor said, “For you, it’ll feel like no time at all. I need you to be strong now.”

Lotor hesitated, his lip trembling. “N-no time at all,” he muttered, and nodded. He let Alfor put him inside. He closed his eyes as the pod froze.

Alfor took the pod out and loaded it onto one of the asteroids, assured it would take Zarkon Decaphoebs to find. 

And technically, he wasn’t wrong.


	2. Education

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lotor learns a great deal from the druids & other stories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god this chapter's finally DONE  
> AAH.   
> I've already started on the next one shot. I just want as much of this out before season 5  
> speaking of which HOW BOUT THAT TRAILER HUH?!?!?!?  
> .......  
> Lotor's really pretty.

The Ajanod system was abandoned. This was a known fact—unquestioned. That’s why no one even bothered checking. Why would they? It was a waste of time.

Which made it even more confusing as to why Haggar detected Quintessence there.

It was just a blip, a tiny ray of life, but it was something, and that got Haggar’s attention. She might have sent someone else to investigate, but...something about it peaked her curiosity. Maybe it was the fact the Ajanod system was held in such high regard by the ancient Alteans. 

For whatever the reason, no one questioned her as she navigated the inner workings of a comet where it seemed the closest to the signal. She approached the one thing inside of any interest, an altean pod.

Inside was a figure, a small figure. It was...a child. With both Galra and Altean features.

Galra and Alteans did not mix much. It was only in recent memory that it became more common for aliens to mate with Galra. Well, in recent memory for Haggar, anyway. But even then, it was well after the Alteans went extinct. She knew which child this must be.

It was only later that Haggar realized what she should have done, the smart thing, the thing she would do in any other situation, which would be to take the whole pod back to her ship and report on it to Zarkon.

But in the moment, for some reason she could not properly explain, all she did was hit the ‘release’ button. 

The child inside fell gently to the ground on his hands and knees. He lifted his head to look up at Haggar’s impassive face. “Where’s King Alfor?” He asked, innocently.

Haggar stared him down. “Dead.”

The child’s face fell in despair. “But...but he promised…” he said almost to himself. “What about Coran? Princess Allura? Gyrgan?”

“All dead.” Haggar said coldly, “All died 10,000 years ago.”

Lotor’s hair fell in his face as his head hung. “10,000…..” he muttered. Haggar wondered if he could even properly understand how large a number that was. 

He lifted his face sharply, looking into Haggar’s eyes. “Then...who are you?”

Haggar thought about answering. After all why shouldn’t she? What would her name be to this boy, this relic from history? Still, when she opened her mouth the simple name wouldn’t come up. Suddenly her very name felt like...felt like a lie. But why would she even care about lying to this boy? 

Instead she said, “Come with me,” and swept away, leaving the boy to decide whether to obey or die in the thin air of the asteroid.

 

Lotor quickly learned the scary woman’s name, ‘Haggar,’ the witch. She took him to a ship with several people in just as scary robes, but these ones had skull masks so he couldn’t even see which was which. At the least...he thought they were masks….he hoped.

A lot of things happened quickly and without much consultation with Lotor, so he wasn’t entirely sure exactly what was going on. All he was told was “Go here” “Wear this” “Eat this” and other such demands. 

“What’s gonna happen to me?” he dared ask as he was shoved in a room with a bed, hardly large enough to be a closet. 

“You have Altean blood,” the masked figure said, “You will be trained as a druid.”

“Do you have Altean blood?” Lotor asked him. 

The druid closed the doors again and walked away. 

The next few days were a blur, both literally and figuratively. Literally because he was crying, figuratively because he lost track of the days. 

He didn’t understand. Whenever he cried to his nannies they would be on his beck and call to try and appease him, even if they annoyed him sometimes. At best the druids ignored him, at worst they pushed him, either with their hands or magic. When that wasn’t enough to keep him quiet, a druid tugged off the balmeran necklace he wore since he was a baby, the good luck charm presented to him by King Alfor himself. He sobbed, grabbing for it as the druid dropped it on the ground and smashed it underfoot. As it broke, so did Lotor’s voice. His tears dried on his face. The message finally sunk in, and he stayed silent.

His life was significantly easier after that. Keep his head down. Do what he was told. Wear the robes they told him that itched. Read the books he was told to. When he was especially quiet they would let him read more books. Or they didn’t stop him anyway. 

He read about other things though, mostly history. He tried to catch up with the past 10,000 years. The details of the rise of the empire...didn’t happen the way he remembered. He couldn’t picture Alfor declaring war and destroying Daibazaal for no reason. And then...and then the texts kept talking about Emperor Zarkon like he was alive, but...he should be dead by now. Was there a new emperor Zarkon? Had he had children after Lotor? But how could he when his mother was….

He tried counting days on his wall when he remembered it was kinda hard to keep track of days in space. Besides, when the druids found out, they made him scrub it off anyway. 

He only saw Haggar occasionally. She’d demand to see what progress he’d made with his magic practicing, and when he inevitably failed he was punished again. 

He just didn’t know what they were talking about. Focusing his quintessence, feeling it in the room, in himself, in others. It didn’t make sense. He knew the theory from his books but...it was all about feelings. Controlling them. Destroying them. He couldn’t figure it out.

He dreaded Haggars every visit. Some form of plant was put in front of him and he would be told to kill it with his mind. The plant remained stubbornly alive. 

One day, though, he walked into the room and there wasn’t a plant there….there was a child. 

The child was very strange, with no eyes, no nose, no hair...only a thin line of a mouth and two small ears. She had a tail, though, long and reptilian. She was no taller than himself. 

His Druid watcher stepped up to him. “Drain her life force,” he ordered Lotor. 

Lotor looked up at him in shock. “I—“ he swallowed. He couldn’t even do this with plants. “I can’t!”

He turned to Haggar but her face was unreadable. “You can,” the Druid said. “Now do it.”

Lotor lifted his arms, doing everything the druids has trained him. Still, even though he went through the motions nothing happened. He concentrated with all his will, but she seemed completely unaffected by his presence. 

The druids watched him impassively. As he continued to try and fail, one of the druids raised his own arm. Lotor flinched, preparing himself to be struck with magic...but it never came. Instead a bolt of lightning struck the alien girl, who fell to the ground silently, spasming in what looked like terrible pain. 

“No!” Lotor shouted, “Don’t...you don’t have to hurt her!”

“If you drain her she won’t feel pain.” He said. “Again.” 

Lotor lifted his arms, focusing all his might on what he’d been told, what he read. He scrunched his whole face up, trying to do what he could. If he could just drain her, just a little, they wouldn’t hurt either of them. 

Lightning struck her again. She spasmed silently. Lotor almost wished she would scream. 

Finally he shut his eyes, so he wouldn’t have to watch, only listen to the small thumps as she rolled on the ground and the crackle from the druids electricity. 

“Open.” He heard a voice say. It wasn’t the Druid...it was the witches, softer than he remembered her voice being. For some reason it sounded familiar. “Open your eyes.”

He did, and the world was filled with a yellow glow. The room disappeared, in its place were shadows. Where the druids and Haggar once stood were voids, echoes of where life had once been, as though whatever had been there, sitting in place in the darkness, was suddenly scooped out of the universe. 

There was one light, though, a small weak light where the girl had been. A light he could latch onto. 

He grabbed it, his fist closing around air. He tugged and tugged, but the light held stubbornly in place. 

“Enough,” Haggars voice came through again, just as harsh as ever, “enough!”

Lotor released and collapsed, heaving on the floor. Blinking rapidly, the room returned, the shadows and the light disappearing once again. 

“Take her to the pods,” Haggar ordered, and Lotor looked up in time to see the druids grab the girl off the ground and whisk her out of the room. Her eyes fell on Lotor, who could do nothing but pant and stare back. 

That was the last thing he saw before the sheer exhaustion overcame him and he passed out.

 

Late in the night, Lotor opened his small door. No one was there. He slipped out. 

He had not made a habit of sneaking around, not willing to risk getting caught, but still, he had spent years learning the layout of the facility, the times when the druids would move around, all in case he ever needed it. 

He went back and forth in his head as to whether this qualifies as ‘need’ but his curiosity won out and he made his way down the hall.

He was so small it was easy enough to slip down the corridors unseen. It felt like forever, his heart racing in his chest, but soon enough he made it to the medical room with pods laying like graves across the floor. 

Navigating the pods themselves was trickier. There must have been hundreds or thousands and he had no idea which one they’d put her in.

What caught his eye was a strange shape among the varied aliens trapped here—a cat...a simple cat. With familiar markings…

“Kova?” Lotor asked the empty air as he made his way over. His mother’s pet, he remembered him being bigger. Had he grown so much?

With his great luck, in the same tank as the cat, floating innocently, was the young girl. Her burns were healed and she simply rested. 

Lotor bit his inner cheek, considering his options. Risking it, he pressed the button on the pod, the lid flipping open and the girl rolling out. “Are—“ he swallowed, his voice sounding loud in the empty chamber, “Are you okay?” He tried to help her up, but the moment he touched her intense lights and sound clouded his senses and he snatched his hand back. 

He blinked, looking down at her. She was struggling to stand, but Kova sat up, watching her. Slowly, she waved her hands in front of the cat, like one might in front of a mirror. “Uhh,” Lotor spoke up. “Hello?”

Kova’s eyes turned to him, while the girl stayed still. “Im Lotor”, He said, not sure whether to address her or the cat. 

Slowly, the girl held out her hand. Lotor was hesitant after the flashes the last time he’d touched her. Carefully, he stretched his hand out and placed it in hers.

Instantly his brain exploded in light and sound, and he tried to recoil his hand again, but the girl held on. Quickly the images slowed, well, they were less images and more...impressions. He felt the druids lightening, but it was more like a memory of lightning. Not his memory he soon realized, but hers. 

Finally it slowed enough for him to understand. It was almost as though she was talking but instead of words she simply relayed her memories directly. 

He...experienced may be the best word...the young girl in a colony full of people similar to herself, who lived underground using touch to communicate, and to control other creatures in the caves. But there were others too, bigger ones who shown light on them, making them feel warm, too warm. They found her, and took her. Something about a parent she knew nothing about and never saw. They dragged her to the surface where it was too hot, and then to space where it was too cold. Did experiments on her, and she was helpless, not being able to feel her way along the cave walls, and when the druids touched her she felt nothing. 

In the burst of information, he came to understand a name, difficult to pronounce. “Narti?” He tried. He felt a spiral of amusement, a sense that it was ‘close enough.’ “Good to meet you, Narti.” Finally, in all this confusion, he had an ally.

 

“Narti, look,” Lotor said to her, opening up a book. He had come several times to see her as she rest in her pod at nights, to awaken in the morning and be subject to more Druid experiments. They were apparently just as curious about her telepathic abilities as Lotor was, hence why they’d kept her so long. Both he and Narti were growing, and most likely years had passed though neither of them had any way of keeping track of it. At some point, Lotor outgrew Narti, but it was a close thing. 

Narti might have glared at him, if she had eyes. Which, was kind of the point. Lotor rolled his own. “Alright, have your CAT look, whatever.” He held it up as Kova curled around Narti’s shoulders, looking at the page. 

Slowly, Narti put her finger on a word that caught her eye. “Honerva,” Lotor explained, “My mother. These are her laboratory notes.” He looked over them himself, “I found them in the druid’s library. And I have a theory of how they got there.” He went silent, waiting to make absolutely sure they were alone. “It was Haggar. She must have stolen them!”

Narti tilted her head, confused. “Listen, the texts have reported her being by my father’s side for the last...10,000 years! But I don’t remember her, which means she must have come around AFTER my mother died. SHE must have been the one to kill her, take the notes, revive my father and take her place at his side.”

Narti took his wrist, a practice he’d come accustomed to. A wave of doubt ran through their connection. “It all lines up. Why else would King Alfor and my father turn against each other so suddenly? Why else won’t she let me see my father?”

When he had finally determined that yes, the current emperor was indeed the father he remembered from his youth, he had asked to see him. This had not gone over well with the druids.

The doubt from Narti turned to uneasiness. She didn’t have answers, but didn’t think Lotor had found the correct ones either. “My father will know,” Lotor said, “we just have to get to him...somehow…”

Lotor had been training recently, seeing if he was able to hide anything from Narti, even when the connection between them was open through her touch. So far it had not worked and it did not work this time either. Instantly, warning apprehension flowed through as she managed to read the inkling of a plan forming in his mind. “Hey, alright, it needs some thinking out of how it’d work, but I think it’s a good idea.” If she had vocal chords, she would have groaned at him. “C’mon, don’t you want to get out of here?” She paused, but he could feel the conflict of desires within her. He could jump on them now, and convince her. “Once we get to my father, he’ll re-instate me as Prince. I could get command of a ship, and make you my top general. And the druids couldn’t do anything to stop me. In time we might be able to demolish the druids completely.”

He could feel how much she wanted to be free, her disbelief surrounding the idea of her being a general, but also her hesitance as to whether she could do what he wanted. “You can,” Lotor said, trying to fill her with confidence, “I know you can.”

 

The next night there was a knock on Lotor’s door. The druids never knocked, only barged in with no respect for privacy. Lotor opened it and came face to face with one of the Galra scientists. He’d never met them in person, as he was limited to interacting with the druids, but he’d seen them in Narti’s memories.

The scientist stared blankly down at him, until Lotor noticed a small arm latched around his neck. A tick later, and Narti’s head popped over his shoulder, and he could see she was controlling him while clinging to his back, tail looped around his waist for support. “You did it!” He smiled in relief, “Come on, let’s get to the ships.”

Reaching the docking bay, Lotor wanted to take the biggest ship there, but Narti convinced him to go for one of the sentry ships that would go overlooked. “Can he fly this thing?” Lotor asked, referring to their doctor. Narti shook her head. “Alright, leave him, we’ll figure this out ourselves.” Lotor had always wanted to be a pilot and had read a great deal on the subject. That should be enough, right?

 

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA”

Narti was clinging to the panels and Kova had somehow made it to the ceiling. 

“Okay,” Lotor said gripping the controls, “Okay okay, I think I got it. I think I---” an alarm went off. “What is that?”

Narti pointed at the alert, and he took the time to actually read it. A proximity alarm. A ship was hailing them. “Rogue sentry,” A voice came over the speaker, and a Galra Lieutenants face came onto the screen, “State your identity and destination.”

Lotor cleared his throat, “This is Prince Lotor, son of Zarkon,” Lotor said, “You shall escort me to my father immediately.”

The lieutenant’s face screwed up. “Well….that’s not one I’ve heard before…One moment.” The screen went blank. Lotor and Narti exchanged a look. Well, Lotor and Kova technically, the cat having taken his normal place on Narti’s shoulders. 

“See?” Lotor said, “This all worked out perfectly.”

 

A varga later, as the both of them were sitting in their cell, Lotor refused to touch Narti and hear the smug feelings of ‘I told you so.’ Even without the actual connection, Lotor knew Narti was thinking it. 

“Alright,” Lotor finally said, “I will admit….this could have gone better.”

Narti didn’t move. Lotor was grateful for that. 

A guard came by. “Alright, one of you morsels come up, we’ve got a special fight coming up and we need to warm up the crowd.” 

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Lotor snapped at him, despite being a little over half his height. “This is the highest of insults. I’ll have you killed once my father finds out what you’ve done.”

“Right, you’re father Zarkon, huh?” The guard said. “Sure, pipsqueak. Sounds like you volunteer,”

The guard grabbed ahold of Lotor’s shoulders and pulled him out of the cell. Lotor’s mind raced. He didn’t know anything about fighting, and passed out nearly every time he tried druid magic.

“Wait!” he screamed as the guard grabbed him, “If you send me in to fight, it’ll be over in ticks. Send us both,” he said, indicating Narti. “It’ll at least be a little more interesting. 

The guard sighed. “Fine. C’mon, Girl.” 

He reached to grab her by the arm, but as soon as his skin touched hers, he recoiled in fear. Lance smiled, knowing exactly what he must have experienced. She walked out of the cell, following behind Lotor.

The guard stared back at the two of them in shock, Lotor smirking up at him. “Well?” He said, Don’t we have a fight to get to?”

The guard snarled at him, not liking to be one-upped. He zeroed in on Lotor, knowing he could grab him at least. “Not yet, Boy,” He spit the words, digging his claws into Lotor’s shoulder “YOU need to be prepared first.” 

 

It wasn’t as painful as Lotor had been expecting, not physically anyway. They’d stripped him, put him a prison uniform, and then took him to a rather painful blade. It didn’t cut his skin, thankfully, but after its work was done, Lotor felt extraordinarily smaller.

He ran a hand through what they’d left of his hair. There was still some small strands left, and he was grateful they hadn’t left him bald. That would be hideous. Still he’d always been proud of his long hair, styled like his mothers, like the few Alteans he met as a child. Even those memories, though, were slowly being lost to time. He could hardly remember his mother’s face, or Alfor’s or even his Fathers, what it had been before he became emperor anyway. He’d seen pictures more recently, and it was like a stranger stared back at him.

“Okay, so,” Lotor said, as they approached the cage, Narti by his side,“Ready?”

Narti tilted her head to him, Kova beside her. Silently, she offered a hand. Most likely it was to give him some form of comfort.

Lotor didn’t want comfort. He didn’t want pity. He wasn’t the child he’d long forgotten, who’d run and cry to his servants or his mother. He was about to go fight to the death and he didn’t have powers of possession like Narti. He was going to die.

But he wasn’t going without a fight. He was still a Galra after all. “I’ll distract and you possess him, right?” Narti nodded. 

That plot was scrapped as soon as they stepped out into the pit. The beast towering before them was well over twice either of their heights, and had eight arms around his body, each holding a long blade. None of the blades matched one another, and Lotor wondered if he’d stolen them from defeated opponents. 

There was no way Narti could get close. 

Narti turned to him, waiting for a back up plan. The beast in front of them howled, raising all the blades and pointing them at the two of them. 

Narti grabbed his prison uniform, waiting for answers. Lotor had nothing, no plan to give, other than, “RUN!”

The beast charged and the two of them split. A tick later one of the many blades came down on the space where Lotor had just been standing. 

Their opponent swung his arms in circles, creating wheels of death that protected him, and made him deadly to Lotor. Unused to physical activity after staying with the Druids for so long, Lotor quickly ran out of breath..but at least he hadn’t spent the last however many years getting systematically frozen. Narti was practically stumbling over her own tail, Kova jumping behind her and spinning in all directions to try and give her a good look at her surroundings. 

The beast zeroed in on her as the weaker of the two, trudging toward her. He didn’t run, didn’t rush, simply lumbered, his giant footsteps overtaking her as she grew slower and weak. Lotor looked around, thinking quickly. If Narti died, Lotor had no chance of fighting this thing all on his own. “Hey!” He shouted at him. Grabbing a rock from the ground, he tossed it at the beast. It bounced harmlessly off one of his many swords, but it got his attention. “Yeah that’s right, I’m talking to you! You--you--Klorbag!” Lotor didn’t know many Galran swears, but he knew enough. 

The beast snarled, and changed directions to charge at Lotor, just as Lotor wanted. 

Of course, now that meant he was charging at Lotor. 

Lotor started running again. He made it behind a pillar, before the pillar was slashed down. 

As he ran again, his breath and his heart loud in his ears, he heard the distinct sound of laughter. He looked up. The disgusting audience was LAUGHING. Jeering at them as they waited for a beast to mercilessly cut down opponents with no skill. This wasn’t a fight, this was an execution. And that wasn’t the worst of it. 

Most of the audience wasn’t even paying ATTENTION. This was just a warm up, after all. They were chatting amicably amongst themselves as though nothing were happening. 

Lance sneered, but he had more important worries, namely the beast getting closer again. He felt a slash on his arm and decided it was time to fight back, even if it meant getting slashed to pieces. He grabbed a rock in his hand and aimed it at his head. It hit more of his shoulder, but still, it was a success. 

His stomach was scratched, and he could feel it bleeding. He picked up another stone and threw it, and another, and another, the last one hitting him in the eye. It was just enough for Lotor to run again, put some distance between them. 

He made it behind another pillar when he heard a small meow. He looked. Kova was sitting there, watching him, though Narti was out of sight. Lotor panted, leaning against the rock for support, and pointed up. Kova’s gaze followed his fingers up to the top of the pillars.

He hoped Narti got the message as the beast had caught up again. He threw a few more rocks, making sure to keep the Beasts attention on him. And if he was cut a few more times...he could live with that. As long as he LIVED. 

He ran up to the wall, and saw the Beast grin. He thought he’d gotten him. Slowly, the beast trudged toward him. Lotor slid alongside the wall, and the Beast followed, every single sword pointed at him. 

Finally, Lotor couldn’t help it anymore, and started laughing. “A good reaction in the face of death,” The beast growled at him. “You’ve given a good chase. Now stand still, and I won’t make this hurt.”

“I’m not laughing at that,” Lotor said, still panting as he wiped away the blood on him. “I’m laughing at THAT.” Lotor pointed up to the pillar behind the Beast. 

Slowly, the Beast turned it’s ugly head, but it only caught a glimpse of the reptilian girl who leaped upon his shoulders, grabbing his head in her hands. 

The Beast’s entire face went slack. At once, all 8 of his swords fell to the ground, and he fell to his knees. 

The crowd quieted, surprised at what they were seeing, and trying to figure out exactly what it WAS they were seeing. Within ticks, the entire hall was dead silent. 

Lotor leaned down and grabbed the first sword that slashed him. It was an elegant weapon, far too elegant for the Beast. Lotor wondered what kind of person owned it before it was taken from him. “Now, stand still,” Lotor said to the Beast. With Narti’s possession, the fear didn’t show in his eyes, but Lotor imagined it there all the same. “And I won’t make this hurt.”

In a quick blow, Lotor stabbed him through the heart, and he fell over. Narti clambered off him, to stand by Lotor’s side, and Kova jumped back up onto her shoulders. 

An awkward throat clear came over the loudspeakers, “Distinguished spectators,” the voice said, “I give you, the victors!”

The audience paused for a moment, then, confused, began to cheer.

Lotor smiled, looking up into the crowd and trying to memorize as many of their faces as he could, to seal this moment in his memory to replace the sad and lonely ones of his youth. That was the day he learned something crucial about himself. 

He liked winning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kay, so, ages don't correspond to Lotor cause alien, but, in human years, he's let out of the pod around 8, meets Narti at around 12, and fights in the Galra Pit around 15. ish.


End file.
